Literary Agent John Talbot '84 Always on Lookout for "Sparkling New Discovery"

July 24, 2010

July 24, 2010, Greencastle, Ind. — "My job is to be an advisor and mediator, to be professional and yet personal with my service, to get the best writing out of my clients, and, most importantly, to convey my passion for their work to our friends on the other side of the desk -- then get the best deals possible," says literary agent John Talbot. A partner in the Talbot Fortune Agency LLC and 1984 graduate of DePauw University, Talbot is the subject of a Q&A feature. He states, "I have plucked 'ready made' bestsellers from the slush pile, and I have developed projects from scratch that have earned large advances and significant royalties for my clients. No day is ever the same in this business: experience, judgment, flexibility, contacts, and long-term relationships are crucial. Yet on any given day a sparkling new discovery can land in my in-box and turn everything deliciously upside down."

The article notes that Talbot's "clients include several New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, National Book Award finalist Clarence Major, National Book Critics Circle Award nominee Bruce Bawer, New England Book Award winner Suzanne Strempek Shea, and 'Coffeehouse Mystery' bestseller Cleo Coyle ... Prior to becoming an agent John spent three years with Pocket Books and seven years with Putnam Berkley (now part of Penguin USA), where he rose to the rank of senior editor and worked with such major bestselling authors as Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and Jack Higgins, as well as rising literary stars such as Tom Perrotta." 

Access the piece by clicking here.

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